Adjustable foot-rest



Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

A TTORNE Y.

EDWARD SCHUYLER, SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE FOOT-REST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8 1916.

Application led January 20, 1 915. Serial No. 3,201.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SCHUYLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable F oot-Rests, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to adjustable Afootrests, designed for use in connection with the cleaning and polishing of shoes, boots and other foot-wear.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel, simple and convenient foot rest or holder, which is arranged to clamp the heel and toe of a boot or shoe during the cleaning and polishing or shining operation, so as to positively hold the same in the proper position until the work is finished. And a further object is to provide a device of the class which is readily adjustable to boots or shoes of different lengths without requiring any alteration or change in the device, the device being operable entirely by the movements of the patrons foot.

The various features and parts of the invention will be understoodfrom the detailed description which follows, and by reference-to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elevational View of the complete device, showing in full and dotted lines the adaptation of the rest to foot-wear of different lengths. Fig. 2 is a top-plan View of the device. Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the longitudinally movable plate which supports the toe-hooks. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the clamp which holds the extensible plate in place. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the toe-hooks.

In the drawing, 2 represents the standard of the footrest, having at its lower end a foot or base 3, which may rest upon the floor, or upon any suitable foundation, as.

4', to which it may be rigidly secured by a screw or bolt 4. The part which directly supports the shoe or boot to be cleaned or polished, consists of a trough-like body 5, preferably made of metal, the top and opposite ends being open, and the bottom thereof resting upon the upper end of the standard 2, to which it is secured by a screw 6. The rear end of the body 5 is provided with upwardly projecting heel-clips 7, which are preferably integral with the body, and these clips are spaced apart to receive and engage the opposite sides of the heel, as 8 of a boot or shoe 8 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l). The bottom of the heel rests or bears upon the top edges of the body 5. The open top of the body 5 is closed by a movable plate 10, one end of which is held in place by oppositely arranged integral clips or lugs 11, which first over-lap and then are bent downwardly to conform to the angular sides of the body. These lugs prevent the rear end of the plate l0 from being detached from the body, but

allOW the said plate to slide or move longitudinally, as shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 1 and y 2. The opposite end of plate 10 is held in place and allowed freedom to slide by a clamp 12, consisting of a strip of metal which is first bent U-shaped (see Fig. 6) for straddling the body 5 and the plate 1f), and then its ends are bent or clenched inwardly against the sides of the body. To prevent the clamp 12 from being displaced, the opposite sides of the body 5 are recessed, as at 12 to receive the arms or ends of the clamp.

The full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show the plate v10 in its normal or closed position, in which it is resiliently held by a coiled spring 13, the latter being disposed in the hollow of the body 5. The ends of the spring 13 are provided with loops 13, which engage pins 14 and 15, the latter being respectively integral with the bottom of the body 5 and the underside of the plate 10, as best seen in Fig. 3. The spring 13 normally exerts its tension for holding the plate 10 in the closed position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the said spring is flexible enough to allow the plate 10 to be extended until the lugs 11 encounter the clamp 12. The range of the longitudinal movement of the said plate is therefore sufficient to receive and clamp the various sizes of boots and shoes the device is intended to handle. The outer or forward end of the plate 10 supports a pair of toehooks 16 and 16', the said hooks being disposed between perforated lugs 17 formed on the end of said plate, and to which the said hooks are pivoted by a pin 18, the latter piercing the hooks and the lugs. The toehooks 16 and 16 are held substantially in the same plane as the plate l() by lugs' 19. When not in use, and to facilitate packing the device in a relatively small space, the toe-hooks may be partially folded, as shown by dotted lines in F ig. 3.

In practice, my improved foot-rests are invariably used in pairs, and the adjustable holders are preferably made in two or three different sizes, the smallest for use by women and children who wear relatively short shoes, while the largest sizes are for inen.

The operation of the foot-rest is as follows: When a person desires to have his shoes cleaned and shined, he first places his foot directly over the body 5. He next inserts the toe portion of the sole of his shoe into the hooks 16 and 16', the said hooks being formed so as to grip the sole. He next moves his foot forwardly with sufficient force to extend the plate 10 against the tension of spring 13 until the heel of the shoe enters between the heel-clips 7. The shoe will then be held firmly, the heel and sole resting upon the top side of the plate 10,

until the cleaning and polishing is done.A

By this device, the work of cleaning and polishing shoes and the like can be done more effectively and more rapidly, because the shoes are firmly held in the right position and cannot be accidentally displaced. I/Vhen the operator has finished his work, the wearer of the shoe simply lifts his heel clear of the clips 7, after which the toe may be readily released from the hooks 16 and 16. The plate 10 will then be instantly returned to the normal or closed position by the spring 13.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the a v s invention, to secure Having thus described my what I claim as new and desire by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a foot rest, a hollow body having an open top and having at one end heel-clips projecting above said top, an extensible plate disposed in the open top of the body having a pair of lugs loosely gripping the sides of the body, a clamp clenched to said body for preventing the detachment of said plate and for limiting the extension of said plate, a pair of toe-hooks carried by said plate, and a spring disposed within the hollow-body for resiliently holding said hooks in engagement with the toe of the shoe.

2. A foot-rest, including a standard, an adjustable foot support comprising a hollow body mounted on said standard having a plurality of clips for engaging the heel of a shoe, a longitudinally movable member slidable on said body having hooks adapted to engage the toe of the shoe and movable under the pressure of the foot for extending said plate for allowing the heel of the shoe to enter between said clips, and a spring retained within said body exerting its tension for tightening the grip of said toe hooks and for moving said plate to the closed position when the shoe is removed.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD SCHUYLER.

Witnesses:

HARRY DE YVALLACE, E. C. WRIGHT.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

